A House Democratic lawmaker has proposed legislation to eliminate the terms "husband" and "wife" from federal law in favor of gender neutral terminology.
Same-sex marriages have been uniformly legal in the United States since a 2015 Supreme Court decision, though federal laws affecting the institution have not been amended to reflect that a civil marriage may not include such a heterosexual pairing.
Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Calif., has introduced the "Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act" to update federal laws, saying that "[a]lthough the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex couples have the right to marry, there are many instances where the U.S. Code does not respect that constitutional right," according to Fox News.
"Now more than ever, with an extreme Supreme Court and state legislatures rolling back the rights of the LGBTQ community, it is imperative that Congress showcases its commitment to supporting equality," she added.
Her comments come amid a slew of Republican-led initiatives at the state level to restrict access to certain gender-related treatments for minors. It also follows a Supreme Court decision asserting that Christian creative private businesses need not endorse messages contrary to their religious beliefs on marriage.
Related Story: Female Military Recruit Had to Shower with Men Who Were Transitioning to Women
